1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information transmitting apparatus for transmitting information through a communication line or the like and, more particularly, to an information transmitting apparatus for transmitting an image to be transmitted by a facsimile signal or the like.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, the costs and size of a facsimile apparatus have been being more and more reduced and is being rapidly spread to various fields from a small-scale office to a general home. In addition to a thermal paper, a normal paper can be also used as a recording paper and a using method is also made variable. For example, a supplementary school and a preparatory school uses the facsimile apparatus to instruct and provide information, thereby enabling a home study to be performed. Although the lesson using a satellite communication has already been put into practical use, an attention is paid to the facsimile communication from viewpoints such that the teaching can be performed every person and a large equipment investment is unnecessary. Consequently, for example, a good instruction can be immediately received even at a remote location.
An information presentation by the facsimile apparatus is fairly spread by the introduction of a facsimile server on the enterprise side. Even from the user side, although it is troublesome to request references by a telephone, since by merely calling an information presenting station by the facsimile apparatus and dialing the necessary information numbers, a desired reference can be transmitted via the facsimile, it is very convenient. In future, there will be many cases where it is sufficient to receive various information for admission or the like by merely transmitting and receiving via the facsimile apparatus.
It is one of advantages of the facsimile apparatus that an instantaneousness is unnecessary in a manner similar to an answering telephone or an electronic mail. The user can receive information any time and it is sufficient for the user to read it as necessary.
On the other hand, a telewriting, electronic conference, cooperative work, or the like is effective for explanation, conference, or the like which requires an instantaneousness because information such as voice, image, locus, and the like are simultaneously transmitted to each terminal.
According to the conventional apparatus, the facsimile apparatus merely transmits a still image such as a drawing or the like and, in case of needing a description, it is necessary to make sentences of such an explanation and to transmit them together with the still image. In future, even in case of an information presentation to many unspecified or specified persons as well as the communication between the specified persons, it is insufficient to raise an understanding degree of references by only the image information and it is effective to add a voice or information indicative of a specified portion. Such a system has already been put into practical use as a television telephone, television conference system, video conference system, video mail, or the like. However, since they need a very expensive information processing apparatus of a high performance, they cannot be generally easily used.